The Prophecy
by simplyxamazing
Summary: A prophecy has been stolen and it's up to the trio to recover it. Along the way they develop an unlikely ally, and Hermione falls for the last person she expected.
1. The Task

"What are you two doing here?" Hermione Granger asked her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, as they entered the dark, abandoned office. Though it was mid-afternoon, the single window beside the bare desk was charmed to show nothing but a black abyss. If Hermione squinted hard enough, she could vaguely make out stars.

"Official Auror business," Ron said, tilting his chin up, and prompting Hermione to roll her eyes.

"Well, I received a memo," she went on as if Ron hadn't spoken, "informing me a very important meeting was to take place in this room and that my presence was needed."

"I got the same—" Harry began but stopped when Hermione shushed him. Outside footsteps were approaching, and Ron and Harry placed their hands on their wands. "Stay behind us," Harry whispered. Hermione crossed her arms across her chest.

"Unbelievable." After all this time, they still thought of her as a helpless . . . girl.

A shadow of a tall, stout man appeared on the floor outside the office, growing larger as the footsteps grew louder. The outline of a wand was faintly visible in his right hand.

"Lower your wands, men," a deep voice said, and Hermione's face broke into a grin.

"Kingsley!" she said as the man walked into the office, shut the door, and cast a silencing spell on the room. Harry and Ron released their wands and stood up straight.

"Something's happened," Harry stated, and Kingsley nodded.

"It concerns," he sighed, ". . . Voldemort."

"That's not possible!" Ron blurted out. "He's dead! We killed him!"

Choosing to ignore the outburst, Kingsley turned toward Harry and Hermione.

"A prophecy has been stolen," he said. "A very important prophecy."

"About Voldemort?" Harry asked, but Kingsley shook his head.

"The prophecy was told to Voldemort by a Seer many years ago."

"What did it say?" Hermione asked.

"Its contents are unknown," Kingsley answered. He gazed at the three of them. "The order has elected the three of you to recover it."

"Why?" Harry asked. "Why us?"

"You three have the most experience with Voldemort."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "But you said the prophecy had nothing to do with Voldemort," she said. "So how can we be of any use to you?"

"You're hiding something," Harry said, taking a cue from Hermione. "What is it?"

"The person who stole the prophecy . . . he is the one the prophecy was written about," Kingsley said, sighing. "I was hoping you'd figure it out on your own."

"So who took the damn thing?" Ron barked, and the three of them turned their eyes to Kingsley.

"Lucius Malfoy."

"Malfoy?" Ron and Harry asked simultaneously.

"Isn't he supposed to be in Azkaban?" Hermione asked. "His trial is still ongoing."

Kingsley nodded. "He escaped yesterday morning."

"Maybe we shouldn't have gotten rid of the dementors..." Ron muttered, and Hermione glared at him before glancing at Harry.

"So what are our orders?" Harry asked.

"Find Lucius," Kingsley said, "and you find the prophecy. Do what you have to, but do so quietly. If word gets around to Malfoy, we may never find out what the prophecy says."

"So where do we start?" Ron asked.

"Where else?" Harry asked, turning toward Hermione who looked down at her arm and her perpetual scar.

"Malfoy Manor."

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><p><strong>Sorry for the lack of Draco, I promise he'll be in all the other chapters. Every story needs a beginning.<strong>

**Review please, if only because it gives me the incentive to write more :)**


	2. Saving the Enemy

"_Alohomora!"_ Ron whispered, pointing his wand at the metal gate in front of Malfoy Manor. Though he stared expectantly at the large cast-iron lock, nothing happened. Behind him, Hermione placed her hand on her hip and sighed.

"Honestly, Ronald. Did you really expect that to work?" she asked, pushing him aside while simultaneously raising her wand. "_Expulso!"_

Ron jumped as the lock broke into pieces, shattering at their feet. "A warning would've been nice," he muttered.

"Come on," Harry whispered, pushing open the gate. "And remember, be quiet."

Hermione glared at him. "You act as if we haven't done this before," she whispered, and Harry hung his head.

"I'm just . . . " Harry started.

"Worried," Hermione said, "I know." As she tugged at her sleeve she felt the material scrape against her scar. "I'll be fine."

The three of them walked along the dirt path leading to the Manor, wands at the ready. The trees along the path swayed in the wind, but they felt nothing. Though Hermione expected to hear crickets chirping at this time of night, the only thing audible was each others' breathing.

"Does it seem oddly quiet to you?" she whispered before something above caught her eye. Looking up she saw a red jet of light shoot across the window on the top-most floor, followed by a jet of blue. A window on the far right silently shattered, proving a silencing charm had been cast on the house. Whoever was inside did not wish to be found.

"Think it's Malfoy in there?" Ron asked, but Harry shook his head.

"He knows this would be the first place they'd look for him. If he was in there, he's long gone."

"Who do you 'spect it is then?" Ron asked, but Harry just shrugged.

They approached the steps and tiptoed up to the massive front door. Hermione noted that Hagrid would fit through quite easily (even Madame Maxime wouldn't have a problem squeezing in). It seemed misplaced—since when did the Malfoys entertain anyone besides pure-blood witches and wizards? Hermione scoffed. It was probably just used as a show of wealth.

"You okay?" Ron asked. She nodded.

"Let's go in," she said, and the three of them pushed the door open. Unsurprisingly, the hinges didn't squeak as it moved.

"Nice to be able to walk through the front door this time," Ron muttered and turned red when Harry and Hermione looked confused. "You know—instead of being here as prisoners."

Hermione wanted to say she would rather not be here at all, but didn't want to appear scared or weak, so she remained silent.

The foyer was dark and Hermione could barely see her hand tightly gripping her wand.

"_Lumos!"_ she said. Her wand, along with Ron and Harry's, lit up the room, revealing broken furniture and glass shards scattered across the hardwood floor. As she took a step forward, a piece of a floral vase crunched beneath her right foot. She looked behind her and saw Harry, mouth slightly agape and eyes scanning the room.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" he said, and Ron nodded. Hermione continued to walk toward the stairs, taking care not to step on the wooden splinters from the nearby demolished coffee table.

"What are you doing?" Ron whispered harshly, his feet rooted to the floor where they had entered.

"The spells came from upstairs," she whispered. "We can't just stand here and wait to be attacked."

Harry began following her and Ron grudgingly moved toward them. Together they crept up the stairs, but stopped when they heard voices.

"You're a rather weak one, aren't you?" A raspy male voice asked, amusement in his voice. "_Crucio!"_ he yelled.

A painful scream rang through Hermione's ears and she cringed. "We have to help them," she whispered and began moving, but Harry grabbed her ankle.

"We don't even know who it is or how many there are," he whispered. "It could be a trap."

"_Incendio!"_ This time a female voice spoke, and the victim's scream pierced through Hermione's chest.

"I can't do nothing!" she whispered and yanked herself away from Harry's grip. She ran up the remaining stairs and flames caught her eye.

"_Aguamenti!"_ Water shot from her wand, getting rid of the flames, but the body they had covered ceased to move.

The female Death Eater eyes widened and she turned toward Hermione, jaw clinched and wand held steady. "_Avada—"_

"_Expelliarmus!"_ she heard Harry yell, and the wand flew out of the surprised woman's hand. Her male companion raised his wand to attack, but a spell hit the chandelier above him, and it crashed on top of him, knocking him unconscious. Hermione looked behind her to find Ron smiling triumphantly.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" Harry yelled. As soon as the woman's petrified body hit the ground, Hermione ran over to the source of the earlier screams.

It was obvious the victim was male, but his head was tucked under his arms so she was unsure of his identity. She placed two fingers on the left side of his throat and felt a faint heartbeat.

"He's alive!" she yelled to Harry and Ron. His arms were badly burned, and she moved them as gingerly as she could in order to expose his face. She gasped when she noticed the pale, thin face.

"It's Malfoy," she whispered.

"Guess our work is done," Ron muttered from across the room, wand pointed at the male Death Eater. Hermione shook her head and pushed a strand of blond hair away from the unconscious male's eyes.

"It's not Lucius," she said. "It's Draco."

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><p><strong>Review pretty please :)<strong>


	3. Pain

"What are you doing?" Ron asked Hermione as she grabbed Draco's wrist and raised her wand.

"What does it look like?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "I'm getting him out of here."

"B-But…he's the enemy!" Ron spat.

"Oh, please, Ronald," Hermione huffed before turning to Harry. "Meet me at my flat," she said before disapparating.

Hermione landed softly on the beige carpet while Draco's unconscious body ended up on her bed. She pushed herself up and smiled triumphantly before staring down at the only male who had ever been in her bedroom.

He looked…peaceful, really. His arms had protected his face so that it remained flawless, but the rest of his body was badly burned. Parts of his black shirt had been burned, revealing chiseled, but rather charred, abs underneath. His right leg lay at an awkward angle and she could vaguely see a piece of bone sticking out of his ankle. Even a git like Draco didn't deserve this.

"How is he?" a voice asked, and Hermione jumped and spun around, facing Harry. Ron stood beside him, glaring at the unmoving body.

"It's bad," Hermione answered. "Third degree burns covering three-fourths of his body, and his right leg is badly broken."

"Can you fix it?"

Hermione looked at Draco and watched as drops of blood ran off his arm and seeped into her white comforter. "I think I can heal the burns," she said, "but I can't mend bones."

"Do the best you can," Harry said before he turned to Ron. "Come on, Ron, let's leave her alone." He pushed Ron by the shoulder out of the door and shut it behind him.

Hermione sighed and turned around, raising her wand and pointing it at Draco. A blue light surrounded his body and the burns faded to light scars. She stepped toward him.

"Come on, Draco, wake up," she whispered, though she didn't know what to do if he actually did. She stared for a moment, contemplating CPR, but then she heard an intake of breath. "Draco?" she whispered, and his eyes snapped open. His chest rose and fell rapidly and his hands gripped at the covers. He briefly glanced at Hermione, but didn't seem to recognize her, before turning his attention to his deformed leg. He sat up and let out a painful moan, and began clutching it.

"Don't!" Hermione yelled, running over to him. She pulled his hands away. "Don't touch it!"

He stared up at her and Hermione watched as realization dawned on him, turning his grimace into a scowl. "Get the bloody hell away from me," he growled.

"I'm trying to help you, idiot!" She pushed him back on the bed, and he began searching his pockets for his wand.

"Don't even try," she told him. "Now, I need to set your leg. It's going to hurt." He scowled and his eyes became slits. "I can let you die," Hermione said, and his expression softened slightly. She sat her hands on either side of his calf and twisted. As she felt a pop, he let out at scream, and Hermione heard footsteps running toward the bedroom. Immediately before the door swung open, Draco's eyes rolled back in his head and he slipped back into unconsciousness.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Ron asked, his hand grasped tightly around his wand. "We heard screaming."

"I'm fine," she said. She tried to maneuver Draco's body under the covers, but found it difficult by herself. She sighed. "Can you help me? He needs to keep warm."

Harry immediately nodded and moved to help her, motioning for Ron to follow him. Together, the three of them positioned Draco on his side, the covers up to his neck.

"What do we do now?" Ron asked, scowling down at Draco's figure.

"We wait," Hermione said, sitting on the edge of the bed, as far away from Draco as possible. "He needs rest."

"Why are you doing this?" Ron asked. "Why are you helping him?"

Hermione looked to Harry for support, but found only agreement in his eyes. She sighed. "I hate him just as much as the two of you," she said, "but, no one deserves this." She looked at the bloodstains on her bed. "Not even him."

Harry nodded. "He might know where his father is," he said. "We should keep watch over him and question him when he wakes up."

"I'll stay," Hermione said. "The two of you can take the guest room."

"We're not going to leave you here with _him_," Ron said. "No chance in hell."

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "I can take care of myself, Ronald," she spat. "Besides, if I left you with him, you'd probably kill him."

Ron glared at her and then turned around and walked out.

"He'll come around," Harry said. "Always does."

Hermione nodded. "Thanks, Harry," she said and he headed toward the guest room, shutting the door behind him. Once he was gone Hermione turned around and looked at Draco.

"So what happens now?" she asked.

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><p><strong>review please :)<strong> **and thanks so much for reading!**


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